Waterproof and breathable upper

ABSTRACT

A waterproof and breathable upper comprises a fabric upper, a water-repellent structure, and a breathable waterproof film. The fabric upper has a first surface and a second surface, and the first surface is opposite to the second surface. The water-repellent structure is formed on the first surface of the fabric upper. The breathable waterproof film is formed on the second surface of the fabric upper.

BACKGROUND Technical Field

The present invention relates to an upper, and in particular, to awaterproof and breathable upper.

Related Art

In design of shoes worn by people in daily life, apart from prettyappearance, effort has been also made to improve the properties forwearing comfort, breathability, and waterproof of the shoes.

There are various types of shoes on the market currently, for example,leisure shoes, sneakers, and long and short boots. Shoes with uppersmade of cloths or textiles can effectively discharge sweat and moisturefrom feet, but it cannot prevent penetration of external moisture. Incontrast, although shoes with leather uppers can effectively preventpenetration of external moisture, it cannot effectively discharge sweatand moisture from feet.

Therefore, it is necessary to provide shoes with both a waterproofeffect and a breathable effect.

SUMMARY

The present invention provides a waterproof and breathable upper, whichcan have both a waterproof effect and a breathable effect.

The present invention provides a waterproof and breathable upper,including a fabric upper, a water-repellent structure, and a breathablewaterproof film. The fabric upper has a first surface and a secondsurface, and the first surface is opposite to the second surface. Thewater-repellent structure is formed on the first surface of the fabricupper. The breathable waterproof film is formed on the second surface ofthe fabric upper.

In an embodiment, the fabric upper includes a knitted upper or a wovenupper.

In an embodiment, the water-repellent structure is formed by a chemicalcoating.

In an embodiment, a material of the breathable waterproof film includesa thermoplastic elastomer (TPE).

In an embodiment, the water-repellent structure faces an outer layer ofthe waterproof and breathable upper, and the breathable waterproof filmfaces an inner layer of the waterproof and breathable upper.

In an embodiment, the water-repellent structure covers the first surfaceof the fabric upper by means of spraying or surface coating.

In an embodiment, the breathable waterproof film is adhered to thesecond surface of the fabric upper by means of hot-pressing.

The waterproof and breathable upper can have both a waterproof effectand a breathable effect.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a side view of a waterproof and breathable upper according toa preferred embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional schematic view of FIG. 1.

DESCRIPTION OF MAIN REFERENCE NUMERALS

100 Waterproof and breathable upper

102 Outer layer

104 Inner layer

110 Fabric upper

111 First surface

112 Second surface

120 Water-repellent structure

130 Breathable waterproof film

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, FIG. 1 is a side view of a waterproofand breathable upper according to a preferred embodiment of the presentinvention, and FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional schematic view of FIG. 1. Thewaterproof and breathable upper 100 according to the present inventionmay be applied to various types of shoes, for example, leisure shoes,sneakers, gym shoes, and long and short boots.

As shown in FIG. 2, the waterproof and breathable upper 100 includes afabric upper 110, a water-repellent structure 120, and a breathablewaterproof film 130. The fabric upper 110 has a first surface 111 and asecond surface 112, where the first surface 111 is opposite to thesecond surface 112. In this embodiment, the first surface 111 faces anouter layer 102 of the waterproof and breathable upper 100, and thesecond surface 112 faces an inner layer 104 of the waterproof andbreathable upper 100. In an embodiment, the fabric upper 110 ispreferably, but is not limited to, a knitted upper or a woven upper.

The water-repellent structure 120 is formed by a chemical coating with awater-repellent capability. A forming method of the water-repellentstructure 120 includes, but is not limited to, forming or covering thewater-repellent structure 120 on the first surface 111 of the fabricupper 110 by means of spraying or surface coating.

The breathable waterproof film 130 is formed on the second surface 112of the fabric upper 110. A forming method of the breathable waterprooffilm 130 includes, but is not limited to, forming or adhering thebreathable waterproof film 130 on the second surface 112 of the fabricupper 110 by means of hot-pressing. In this embodiment, a material ofthe breathable waterproof film 130 is preferably a thermoplasticelastomer (TPE).

As shown in FIG. 2, because the outer layer 102 of the waterproof andbreathable upper 100 according to the present invention is provided withthe water-repellent structure 120, a surface tension thereof can beincreased, thus keeping out external water molecules while stillallowing air to pass, so that water-repellent and breathable functionscan be achieved effectively. On the other hand, even if water moleculespossibly pass through the water-repellent structure 120 to reach thefabric upper 110 in the case of encountering a large amount of water,because the inner layer 104 of the waterproof and breathable upper 100according to the present invention is further provided with thebreathable waterproof film 130, water molecules can be effectively keptout of the breathable waterproof film 130, thus preventing the watermolecules from entering the shoes.

In conclusion, the waterproof and breathable upper according to thepresent invention can effectively keep external water molecules out ofthe water-repellent structure and still allow air to pass. Even in thecase of encountering a large amount of water, water molecules can stillbe effectively kept out of the breathable waterproof film to prevent thewater molecules from entering the shoes, thus achieving thewater-repellent and breathable functions.

The present invention has been described through the related embodimentsabove. However, the foregoing embodiments are merely examples forimplementing the present invention. It should be noted that, thedisclosed embodiments do not limit the scope of the present invention.On the contrary, modifications and equivalent settings included in thespirit and scope of the claims are all encompassed in the scope of thepresent invention.

What is claimed is:
 1. A waterproof and breathable upper, comprising: afabric upper, having a first surface and a second surface, and the firstsurface being opposite to the second surface; a water-repellentstructure, formed on the first surface of the fabric upper; and abreathable waterproof film, formed on the second surface of the fabricupper.
 2. The waterproof and breathable upper according to claim 1,wherein the fabric upper comprises a knitted upper or a woven upper. 3.The waterproof and breathable upper according to claim 1, wherein thewater-repellent structure is formed by a chemical coating.
 4. Thewaterproof and breathable upper according to claim 1, wherein a materialof the breathable waterproof film comprises a thermoplastic elastomer(TPE).
 5. The waterproof and breathable upper according to claim 1,wherein the water-repellent structure faces an outer layer of thewaterproof and breathable upper, and the breathable waterproof filmfaces an inner layer of the waterproof and breathable upper.
 6. Thewaterproof and breathable upper according to claim 1, wherein thewater-repellent structure covers the first surface of the fabric upperby means of spraying or surface coating.
 7. The waterproof andbreathable upper according to claim 1, wherein the breathable waterprooffilm is adhered to the second surface of the fabric upper by means ofhot-pressing.